You must file a FAFSA to be considered for federal student loans. The application opens October 1 each year. Be sure to list Lewis & Clark’s federal school code (003197) so we can access and download your FAFSA data.

How can I afford to pay the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)?

The EFC figure from your FAFSA is used to determine your demonstrated need. We do not expect you to write a check for this amount, and the reality is that most graduate students will use student loans to cover all or part of their EFC. Need-based loan programs are not available to graduate students, so your EFC does not impact the type or amount of loans we offer to you.

Can I receive federal grants?

The Federal TEACH Grant may be available to some Master of Arts in Teaching students at the Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. The Federal TEACH Grant can provide up to $4,000 per award to students who are willing to sign an agreement to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field at a low-income school for at least four years within eight years of graduation. The Federal Pell Grant is not available to students pursuing graduate degrees.

Can I receive a scholarship from the school?

At Lewis & Clark, it is the Admissions Committee at each school that determines which of the admitted applicants will be offered scholarships from the school, and in what amount. Contact the Admissions Office if you have any questions about your scholarship eligibility. These funds are always limited; submitting a strong application early is one of the best ways to secure gift aid from the school.

Is the Federal Perkins Loan available?

Unfortunately this loan program has been phased out for graduate students.

When does the academic year begin?

At Lewis & Clark summer is the first semester of our academic year. Some of the programs at the Graduate School of Education and Counseling will start with summer enrollment.

When a student is enrolled in all three semesters (summer, fall, and spring), their federal student loans will be evenly split over the three semesters.

When an entering student starts their program enrollment with fall semester, their federal student loans will be evenly split over the fall and spring semesters.

How many credits do I need to take to be eligible for financial aid?

To be eligible for federal financial aid, an applicant must be admitted into a degree-seeking program, enroll at least half time each semester, and make satisfactory academic progress toward their degree.

Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling has defined full time as enrollment in 6 or more credits per semester. Half time is defined as 3 credits per semester.

To remain eligible for federal student loans, and to keep all prior federal student loans in an in-school deferment status, our graduate students need to maintain a minimum enrollment of at least 3 credits each semester.

How do I decide how much to borrow?

We estimate your total Cost of Attendance (COA) for each academic year using the typical tuition for a first-year student in your degree program. We also include a monthly living allowance and other allowances for local transportation, books and supplies, and discretionary personal spending. We urge you to consider your actual expenses, as well as the resources you already have available to help meet those expenses. You may not need to borrow all of the loans you have been offered.

We advise students to borrow the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan first. Only borrow as much of the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan as you need.

If you will need to borrow for your living expenses, spend some time working on a spending plan to determine your monthly budget for basic expenses such as rent, utilities, and food. Consider ways to cut back on your spending so that you may not need to borrow the maximum student loans offered to you. For example, you may be able to use public transportation or the L&C shuttle to cut down on commuting costs.

How do I get the portion of my loan money I plan to use for living expenses?

When you receive your financial aid award notification from the college, you will need to decide how much to borrow and then take steps to secure your loans.

If you have completed these steps to secure your loans in a timely manner, we will arrange for the loans to post to your student account at the beginning of each semester. Your student loan funds will be applied as credits against the charges such as tuition, fees, insurance and fines on your student account.

If your student loan funds and other payments exceed your charges, the Student & Departmental Account Services office will release the excess funds to you, either as a check or electronically to your bank account. You may use these funds for educational expenses including living expenses. Carefully budget this amount to last until your next scheduled loan disbursement.

How do I know how much I will receive for my living expenses?

Your refund check for each semester will be the excess net loan funds after tuition and other charges have been addressed:

Because federal student loans are split evenly between semesters, if your tuition (and other charges) is higher in one semester than in others, the excess refunded to you will be smaller in that semester. It is therefore prudent to estimate your refund check amounts for each semester, so you will know ahead of time, if part of one refund check needs to be saved to assist you with living expenses in another semester.

How can I make this semester refund last until the next one?

There are many ways to budget your funds, but here is one suggestion. First, purchase your books for the semester. Then divide the remaining amount by the number of months until your next loan disbursement to determine the maximum you can spend in each month. Sit down with your spending plan, and re-work it if necessary to create a small contingency fund for expenses you did not plan on having in a typical month.

What if I need a new computer for school?

You may use your refund from financial aid to cover the cost of a computer. If you have borrowed all of your student loans and still need more to pay for a computer, you may request that we add the cost of your computer to your cost of attendance.

You need to purchase the computer first, so that you have a receipt or an invoice to submit to our office. We will use this receipt to document your expense, and if possible we will increase your federal student loan eligibility accordingly. The cost of purchasing a computer can be added only one time during your graduate program and is limited to a maximum of $2,500.

We discourage increases, as the loan we are most often permitted to increase is your most expensive loan, the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. On a case-by-case basis and with sufficient documentation there are some circumstances under which we can make increases. The following is a list of expenses that can potentially be added to your cost of attendance budget to increase your loan eligibility.

Dependent care costs for small children.

You may submit an invoice or statement from the child care facility for a recent month showing your child’s name and age, the daily, weekly, or monthly rate, and the time frame for which care is provided (the date that care started and an explanation of how frequently care is provided). If you have an in-home provider, they can write out a signed statement with the required information.

Health insurance.

If you will purchase the student health insurance plan, you may submit a copy of your receipt showing your name, the coverage dates, and your premium. If you will pay for private health insurance, you may submit documentation showing your name, the insurance company’s name, your coverage dates, and your premium.

I have a car payment, can this be added to my student loan eligibility?

No, we cannot include car payments, credit card payments, or any other consumer debt payments when determining a student’s cost of attendance. We strongly encourage all prospective students to do what they can to pay off or minimize any prior debt obligations before beginning their graduate program.

I have required child support payments, can this be included to increase my student loan eligibility?

No, these payments cannot be added to the cost of attendance. Students in this situation may wish to consider enrolling as a part-time student so they can continue to work and have funds to cover this obligation.

Can I get money up front to pay for my move from out of state?

No, refunds from financial aid are released no earlier than the first day of classes in any given semester. You will need to cover relocation costs using your own resources.